Educational Methods Commons^™

Breaking Out From Tradition: Redesign Of Large Physiology Lecture Increases Engagement, Inclusion, And Student Outcomes, Jordyn Dickey, John Redden, Kristen Kimball

Honors Scholar Theses

The human digestive system is a diverse network of cells, tissues, and organs that is regulated by intrinsic (e.g. nervous and endocrine systems) and extrinsic factors (e.g. secretions, pH, and the microbiome). Given the volume of content and the dense physiology involved, this system is difficult for instructors to teach and equally challenging for students to understand. This is especially true in our two-semester Human Anatomy and Physiology course for pre-health students at the University of Connecticut. In the Spring 2017 semester, we developed and implemented an active learning based approach when teaching the histology and regulation of gastric secretions …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology: Permission To Publish Agreement, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Blank Permission to Publish agreement form for authors of the Concepts in Animal Parasitology textbook/open educational resource.

A Phenomenological Study On Teacher Perception Of Change In School Culture As A Result Of The Implementation Of Mindfulness, Justin Penley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of teacher perception of change in school culture as a result of the implementation of mindfulness. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information by focusing on and describing the impact of mindfulness on school culture in a deep comprehensive manner.

The investigator was able to extract meaning and code data, leading to the emergence of themes that supported and aligned with the study’s research questions and thus led into a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. This was accomplished through data analysis of rich, in-depth interviews, onsite …

Success Rates Of Second Semester Anatomy Students In Online And On-Ground Classes At A Community College In East Tennessee, William Sproat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators expect the number of institutions offering online courses and the number of students enrolling in these courses to increase as many students, particularly nontraditional students, discover the advantages of online content delivery. Online courses require new methods of communication between students and faculty as well as discovering new ways to build relationships, earn student trust, conduct appropriate assessment, and deliver useful course content. Many institutions—public, private, and for-profit—offer a wide variety of online coursework but faculty, employers, and the public have expressed concerns about the quality of online course content. In particular, online delivery of coursework in the natural …

A School Of Choice: A Case Study Of An Instructional Learning Model In A Public School System, Samuel Mccord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study focused on the understandings of the administration and teaching staff with regard to the implementation and student academic growth of the B-L Upward program. The understandings were formed from data collected through structured, face-to-face interviews. The questioning of the staff members assisted in determining an understanding of the instructional model of the B-L Upward program. The experimental nature of the B-L Upward program allowed students, primarily those graduating from eighth grade and heading into high school, to choose an alternative to the traditional secondary learning environment. The current case study is an examination of the B-L Upward …

Effect Of The Diverse Standardized Patient Simulation (Dsps) Cultural Competence Education Strategy On Nursing Students’ Transcultural Self-Efficacy Perceptions, Eda Ozkara San

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nursing students find it challenging to provide culture-specific care for patients representing diversity in ethnicity, race, language, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration history, and lifestyle and frequently lack confidence in their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Simulation has become a useful strategy for teaching nursing students assessment skills, technical skills, teamwork, delegation, self-efficacy, and professional communication. An alarming gap exists within the literature concerning innovative teaching and learning strategies that are carefully designed, implemented, and evaluated and follow a conceptual model, guidelines, and standards to enhance cultural competence development of diverse student groups, who must work with patients from …

The Effect Of Peer Practice On Communication Apprehension In High School Students: A Quantitative, Quasi-Experimental, Static-Group Study, Ashley Bowman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Curricula nationwide is trending toward mandating mastery and assessment of communication skills; however, little research exists to provide insight on how to support students suffering from communication apprehension. This quantitative, quasi-experimental, static-group comparison study examines the impact of peer practice on communication apprehension, public speaking anxiety, group discussion, meeting, and interpersonal communication among high school students. This study utilized a convenience sampling with a control and a treatment group; the sample consisted of 275 participants enrolled in grades nine through 12 at a large, public high school in South Carolina. McCroskey’s Personal Report of Communication Apprehension 24 (PRCA-24) (1982b) was …

The Impact Of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, And Classroom Management On Self-Efficacy Of Christian Private School Teachers, Monica Cason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to investigate variables that best predict Christian private school teachers’ efficacy. Specifically, the study addresses the question of how the predictor variables of gender, age, ethnicity, professional qualification, and school status relate to efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. The present study contributes to the limited resources for research concerning efficacy of a teacher. Approximately 138 teachers from northeast Florida Christian private schools completed the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form. The instrument developed for assessing efficacy also targeted instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. A target sample was …

The Relationship Between College Student Attitudes Towards Online Learning Based On Reading Self-Efficacy, Ethnicity, And Age, Felecia Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The convenience of online programs has revolutionized education to make it available for more people interested in seeking to further their education. Students enrolling into various online, higher education programs have different aptitudes and factors that play a role in their experiences and successful completion of the program. The study aims to determine relationships between factors that may influence the students’ attitudes towards online programs. The factors include reading self-efficacy, ethnicity, and the age of the college students. The present study examines these relationships between self-reported self-efficacy, ethnicity, and age, as related to attitudes toward online learning. The participants consisted …

Benefits Of Educational Services For Students With Disabilities, Miguel Zazueta-Ruiz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research project examines the benefits of educational services that schools offer to students with disabilities for a smooth transition from elementary school level to middle school and high school level. Federal and state laws, e.g. the Re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 2004, ensure that students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) specifically designed to provide services to meet the needs of individual student with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Through the use of relevant literature review and surveys …

A Battle Of Values Global Trends Of Nationalism And Cosmopolitanism In Education Paradigms, James Drennen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This report explores the global political climate around the Spring of 2018 and how it has affected educational paradigms in Costa Rica, China, Finland, and Turkey.

Fostering The Concept Of Autonomy In School-Aged Children, Michelle Newcombe

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Studies show that autonomy in school-age children helps students in terms of academics and in becoming well-rounded members of the society (Bandura, 1993). This senior capstone explores how autonomy is taught successfully in Japanese schools, explains its structure, and how it can be facilitated. Through the use of literature review as well as surveys conducted with 12 Japanese exchange students and 15 Liberal Studies students, results were inconclusive and are premature to determine how the concept of autonomy is fostered in U.S school-aged children. However, the literature review found that in Japanese elementary schools, educators use the Self-Determination theory and …

Academic And Social Effects Of Waldorf Education On Elementary School Students, Christian Zepeda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As society becomes more critical of public education, alternative education systems are becoming more popular. The Waldorf education system, based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, has increased in popularity and commonality each decade. Currently, 23 Waldorf institutions exist in California. With this increase in popularity, it is important to analyze and examine the effectiveness of this education philosophy. An examination of Waldorf education, through research and interviews of Waldorf teachers and administration, will provide parents and teachers with an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, Waldorf education provides a positive environment for students, yielding positive effects but this …

The Effects Of School-Based Tutoring On The Reading Scores Of Third Grade Students, Jenny Washington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Reading below grade level in the third grade is a serious issue that too many students are facing. If struggling readers do not improve their reading skills prior to entering the fourth grade, they risk academic failure and limited success in the future. It is important, therefore, to get students who are not reading on grade level back on track as soon as possible. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine the effectiveness of tutoring for improving the reading skills of third graders. A sample population of 2,565 third graders from 43 Title I elementary schools in …

A Predictive Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Grit And Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Pre-Service Teachers, Rosetta Riddle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to examine the relationship between the personality trait of grit and self-efficacy levels. The predictor variable of grit to the criterion variable of self-efficacy for pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a Mid-Atlantic university was studied. Investigating connections between motivation and resilience that might result in self-efficacious behaviors was the focus of the study. The study was important because although some research studies existed regarding content specific self-efficacy of pre-service teachers, limited research had been conducted regarding self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers based on school level. This was a …

Secondary Student Experiences With Mandatory Enrollment In North Carolina Virtual Public School Courses: A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study, Damion Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to describe secondary student experiences within mandatorily assigned online courses using the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS) platform. Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory provided a lens to explore this phenomenon. Specifically, the study was guided by the central research question: What are the experiences of secondary students who are required to take online courses using NCVPS? Student participants were selected from two low-performing high schools in northeastern North Carolina. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Accordingly, data was analyzed through the process of immersion: continually reading, …

A Causal Comparative Study Of Ninth Grade Academy As An Answer To Unsuccessful Eighth Grade To Ninth Grade Transition, Ursula Dionne Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the traditional ninth-grade classroom or the ninth-grade academy would have the greatest impact on retention rates and discipline referrals to administration of students transitioning into high school. The data in this causal-comparative research was secondary data collected from the counselors and administrators of the four schools that participated in this research study. The data was evaluated using an independent samples t-test. The results of this study did not indicate the need for transition programs based on the predicted significant statistical difference in the retention rates and in the Group A and …

Experiences Of Teaching Controversial And Emotive Issues In Terrorism Studies Courses In The Politically-Charged Classroom: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Blake Devolld

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the phenomenon experienced by faculty members in higher education who teach courses in terrorism studies with curriculum containing controversial and emotive issues in a politically-charged classroom. The study included 12 college faculty members who taught courses in terrorism studies from several institutions of higher learning throughout the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, participant questionnaires and the collection of course materials. The data collected through these methods were analyzed using the process suggested by Moustakas (1994) to write a composite description of the phenomenon using textural and structural …

Experiencing Success: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of Successful Remedial Mathematics Students, Kyle Ireland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe how students experience success in mathematics remediation at a four-year private institution in the central United States. Success in a remedial mathematics course was defined as one’s completion of a required remedial mathematics course having earned an overall grade of 90% or higher. The theories guiding this study were achievement goal theory and expectancy-value theory grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory. This theoretical framework provided a motivational framework for student success in a post-secondary, remedial mathematics course based on individual goals for completing the task, student self-efficacy beliefs, and the …

Examining The Effects Of A Content-Based Peer Feedback Writing Intervention In Community College Classrooms, Jennifer M. Gilken

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has documented that low-level writing skills among postsecondary students are an ongoing concern and contribute to the lack of persistence and degree attainment for community college students (Karp, 2011; Perin, 2013). Since academic writing is a process that develops over time (Perin, 2003), many students require writing support beyond remedial course work for long-term success in more advanced courses (Karp, Hughes, & O’Gara 2010; Perin, 2013; Tapp, 2013). The current study used a Community of Practice (CoP) framework (Lave & Wenger, 1991) to create a content-based peer feedback intervention to examine two key ways in which a content-based peer …